I bought my Packard Bell Axcel 3510 in March 1996. It's almost 5 years old and has served me well. In fact, I'm reluctant to replace it. Sure, I'd like all the new features and speed offered by a new computer but my PB has been a workhorse.

Over the years, I've added lots of memory, upgraded to all the Windows 95 patches, replaced the original 1G hard drive with a 10G drive, added a CD/RW drive, increased the memory from 8mb to 48mb, and upgraded to a 3rd modem. The only mechanical problem I've had was when the battery gave out within 6 months. This was replaced free of charge by PB while the machine was still under warranty.

I've read all the poor reviews PB has garnered over the years in all the tech magazines and I've either been incredibly lucky or everyone else has been incredibly unlucky but I love this computer.

It's not without it's quirks but I blame most of those on Windows. (Does anyone else with a PB have to knock on the left side of the case, massage the monitor in a clockwise direction and play Sgt. Pepper upside down in the CD drive before booting to Windows??--just kidding.) A couple of years ago, I started having lots of problems with what I thought was the computer. As a last resort before buying a new computer, I reformatted my drive, re-loaded windows with its patches and the problems magically disappeared. (It was a pain in the rear to reload windows--don't do this unless you have carefully backed up all your data files.)

I read the problems that others have with their Dells, Gateways, HP's and Compaq's and quietly chuckle while my 100mhz Pentium handles all the bookkeeping for my business, trades my stocks, surfs the web, and handles a heavy graphics load for my wife's business. I'd buy another if they were still in business.



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